Michael Saunders and Shawn Kelley Kicked Off the RBI Club 2010 luncheon with  special guest Carmine Fusco and emcee Dave Sims.

 Dave Sims served fielded questions directed towards each of the players and Carmine Fusco.

Sean Kelly shared stories about his first year in the majors and overcoming injury to getting healthy and what to expect from big league hitters.  The most memorable part of last season was when he discovered he made the team.  He was called into manager Don Wakamatsu's office where Rick Adair and John Wetteland were both present.  Wak said there was good news and bad news to share.  Sean asked for the bad news first to get it over with.  Wak said the bad news is that your not the closer but the good news is you made the team.  Sean said he was calm in their presence but went nuts in the parking lot.  He received calls from friends and family he didn't know he had.  This off season, he has focused on his oblique and getting back to 100% health which required a lot of running and training.  He's been working his arm for a month and his oblique is fully healed now.

Sean shared the club house experience last year with Griffey and his ability to keep the team laughing especially when he would body slam Ichiro and tickle him.  He also explained about rookies having to wear a pink backpack form the dugout to the bullpen.  His was a Hello Kitty version filled with a rosin bag, candy, seeds, and Tylenol.  Sean spoke highly about John Wetteland and respect he has for the military and our country's flag, his inspirational speeches and bonding exercises.

 Michael Saunders discussed how he didn't sleep much before his big league debut and was pretty nervous until he made that first catch.  He became comfortable very fast with the faith Jack Z. showed in him and the guys in the clubhouse were all very friendly.  His best moment of last season was when he got to pinch run for Ken Griffey Jr. in his last at bat of the game.  Michael spoke about the joking and talking that Ken Griffey Jr. does with fans during a game from the dugout.  He said Ken will see someone texting and he'll tease them about paying attention to the game.  Another example is, he'll toss a ball into the stands after the 3^rd out and wait a few inning before telling the person he needs the ball back only to return it to them after a few innings.  Michael said Ken keeps the mood light which keeps everyone on the team loose.  So whether he's playing or resting, he's always contributing to the game.  He said Mike Sweeney was this way as well.

 Michael didn't realize how popular he would be for making it to the big leagues.  He got a call from a kid who sat behind him in his 3^rd grade math class.  Michael's off season routine included spending a month in Venezuela where he got 90 at bats and afterwards rested until January 4^th before he got back at it.

 Dave Sims shared a few club house stories as well.  The first was the first day of Spring Training 2009.  Don Wakamatsu said he was going to require neckties on the road trips.  Once the season started, they were about to leave on their first trip, and there are two buses, one for broadcasters and other personnel and another for the players.  When they got to the plane, they saw that all the players were wearing white neckties with a picture of Don Wakamatsu.  Griffey had spent about $2,500 on ties for everyone.  He got Wak's media guide photo and had it printed on everyone's ties.  Everyone all cracked up.

 Another story is when Griffey swiped a Wakamatsu family photo off his desk during Spring training and inserted his own photo into the picture.  There everyone was wearing white Mariners jerseys and Griffey had just become a member of the Wakamatsu family.  Griffey and Sweeney were an unbelievable positive influences on the team last year.  They really kept the clubhouse loose.

 Carmine Fusco shared his experience as a personal friend of Jack Z since they were 5 years old and how they lived 2 blocks away from each other.

 He explained that there are 15 people in the M's professional scouting operation.  They cover every league from "A" ball to the majors.  No stone is left unturned.  They have files on every player in professional baseball.  Carmine stated that it's an absolute must to know the players' character and how they deal with adversity and how they handle failure.  He explained that a guy can be outstanding at "A" ball, but the game at the big league level is played from the neck up and someone who is successful at "A" ball might not be able to cut it at the Major League level.  Carmine emphasized that it takes confidence, mental clarity, focus and the ability to process information at the Major League level.

 Carmine covered the status of the current team, acquisitions like Milton Bradley, Cliff Lee, Chone Figgins, Casey Kotchman, Brandon League and Dustin Ackley.  He also explained what they saw in David Aardsma and Russell Branyan that other teams didn't see.  Finally, he discussed the health of Michael Saunders, Endy Chavez, and that Jack Z. is working the phones for another bat.  He said if Adrian Gonzalez is available that he would go get him when asked.

Renew Your 2010 RBI Club Membership Today! 

Don't miss 2010 RBI Club speakers and programs -- or miss out on RBI Club charitable giving and activities this season -- as the Seattle Mariners gear up their continued rebuilding strategy in 2010.  Get an extra dose of 'real baseball involvement' and insights about the Mariners at monthly RBI Club events that will include luncheons, pre-game events, the annual spring training 'Cactus Closer' and much, much more... as the RBI Club marks its 29th year of support for professional baseball in Seattle.